Cobia Tagging

Where do Virginia’s cobia come from, and where do they go in the Fall? These are two of the research questions we aim to answer through a new tagging program. We use surgically implanted tags to track the location of the Cobia so we can follow their movements throughout the year.

If you retain a tagged fish, please find our tags inside the gut. Send them to VIMS and we’ll give you a reward!

What do the tags look like?

The acoustic tag is the size of a chapstick and makes a ‘chirp’ that can be heard by listening stations placed in the Bay and up and down the East Coast. The archival tag, which measures depth and temperatures is like a short AAA battery. The external tag is made of a green plastic and protrudes from the bottom of the Cobia.